BUDINGER ON HOOPS CAMP, P. DIDDY SKIT, DRAFT SNUB, NBA’S GINGERS

Chase Budinger, former La Costa Canyon High star and current forward for the Minnesota Timberwolves, will host his annual basketball camp Monday through Friday at Pacific Ridge School in Carlsbad for boys and girls ages 9-17.

Beforehand, U-T San Diego caught up with the 44th overall pick of the 2009 draft to discuss his new three-year, $16 million deal, Ricky Rubio, and, of course, once dunking over P. Diddy. Email
chasebudingerbasketballcamp@gmail.com for more camp info.

Q: What kind of fulfillment do you get working with kids?

A: It means a lot to me. I love seeing kids improve, or learn things throughout the camp. If I see them working on a couple different moves, and later in the week they’re doing that move in a pickup game and having a good time, it means the world.

Q: You’ve mentioned before that there’s not much of a premium on fundamentals these days. Is that just our highlight culture?

A: Yeah, you know, SportsCenter is not very good for that. The top 10 plays are always the craziest plays, just all kinds of dunks and things like that.

Q: This is coming from the guy who once jumped over P. Diddy in a dunk contest.

A: (Laughs) Yes — but that was for show, that wasn’t in a game.

Q: Tell me about that. How does one pitch P. Diddy?

A: Well, actually, one of the NBA producers knew that he was coming and that he loved to be involved in that kind of stuff. I initially wanted to jump over Woody Harrelson (it was a “White Men Can’t Jump” thing), but P. Diddy agreed to do it. I had to tell him what was going on, and it was really funny because when he threw the ball up, his whole entourage and security team flipped out. They were like “no one’s jumping over him!”

Q: You were projected as a mid first-rounder after your sophomore season at Arizona but pulled out of the draft, only to go 44th the next year. Did you have any regrets?

A: I mean, at times maybe. Maybe I thought I should have come out earlier. But who really knows? Maybe I was too young, maybe I wasn’t mature enough and I could have been out of the league. It’s tough to think about that. I feel like I needed one more year in college to mature, and I got lucky enough to get drafted by a team with a coach who liked my skills.

Q: Occasionally, you’ll get a second-rounder like Gilbert Arenas or Manu Ginobili who makes it, but most are out of the league pretty quickly. Does going 44th make your contract any more satisfying?

A: It definitely does. There are not that many second-rounders that have long careers. I felt I was a little disrespected. I thought I was easily a first-round pick and I think lot of coaches and GMs realize that now. I’ve always used that 44th pick as motivation.

Q: San Diego State’s Jamaal Franklin was projected to go in the first round as well but slipped all the way to 41st. Any advice for him?

A: Keep working hard. Memphis is a good team for him. He could definitely play there, the way he plays, it’s a good thing. The biggest thing is you really just can’t get down from being drafted in the second round. You gotta work a little harder, listen to the coaches and what they have to say and do anything possible.

Q: OK, redhead-to-redhead for a second. How does the whole ginger thing play in the NBA?

A: You know, there aren’t a lot of redheads that play in the NBA, but it doesn’t really come up.

Q: No special bond with Brian Scalabrine and Matt Bonner?

A: No, not really.

Editor’s note: The interviewer, who also happens to be writing this editor’s note, asked Budinger a third ginger question regarding Bill Walton, but Chase was really not feeling it.

Q: Will Ricky Rubio ever just blow you away with a move or play in practice?

A: Yes, at times. The biggest thing is that he hits guys in the face a lot. They won’t be expecting a pass and it hits them square in the face.